It might sound pretentious coming from a student taking Political Science courses and planning on working for the government, but it does not make it any less true: people do not care about politics. Due to the recent political drama surrounding the persona of Donald Trump and the exasperating polarization of the existing party system, Americans have started to pay a bit more attention. Despite that, even in 2021, it is evident that the vast majority is not interested in politics, especially in regard to foreign policy and problems originating from abroad.
However, as soon as a certain issue strikes a chord with the population, the wrath of the public seems to be inescapable. The Christian worldview posits that the government is an intermediary between people and the Lord, who has the ultimate power. However, if authorities fail to exercise the will of God, the public has a Biblical right to object and demand change. The most efficient means of exercising the public voice is political protests. Hastedt notes that this instrument of influence is expressed through unofficial avenues. Compared to public opinion, lobbying, and elections, protests manage to produce the biggest results.
There are numerous reasons why protests are so efficient. Firstly, the cause for a protest must be universal enough for thousands of people to feel compassionate about it in order to participate in public disapproval of a specific event, phenomenon, or legislation. Therefore, there is no need to explain why taking part in or supporting a certain protest is important – people tend to understand the basic cause.
Secondly, protests attract the attention of the media, creating a curious cycle of people-media-people.The higher the number of people participating in a protest, the more news coverage, and the bigger audience gets to find out about the protest, its causes, and public demands. Thirdly, protests are cost- and time-efficient, which makes them a quick way to bring about actual results.
However, it is crucial to recognize that the fact protests can be organized easily can be a disadvantage rather than an advantage. Digital technology has provided the public with an opportunity to coordinate the efforts of hundreds, and even thousands, of people with ease. The Atlantic makes a great point by comparing the Women’s March in 2017 and the historic March on Washington in 1963.
While the first one took weeks to organize via a Facebook group and an Instagram hashtag, the latter one was a result of almost a decade of promotion, logistics, and coordination of efforts. The issue with modern digitally-powered protests is the absence of a coherent statement that would lead to credibility. Low-effort initiatives do not have the same impact, which is demonstrated by the lackluster outcome of the 2017 Women’s March.